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AREA LADIES READY TO BUCKLE THEIR HELMETS |
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By:
Coraopolis-Moon Record
March 29, 2007
Spring has sprung and the ladies are ready to hit. No, not the
softball. Each other.
Starting in April, the Pittsburgh Passion return for another season of
full-contact, professional women's football and Moon Township native
Kelly Stoner will be holding down the defensive secondary for the
fifth straight year.
"My favorite thing is the opportunity to play a competitive team sport
well after college has ended," said Stoner of the experience.
The 1997 graduate of Moon Area High School has been playing with the
Passion since the inaugural season.
"My dad saw an ad for tryouts in the local newspaper and basically
dared me to try out."
Coraopolis native Tobi McCoy is also entering her fifth season with
the Passion.
"I am truly blessed to be a part of the Pittsburgh Passion," said
McCoy. "This team is something very special."
With encouragement from her brother Jay, McCoy thought she would give
it a shot.
Stoner was surprised when she received the call informing her that she
made the squad.
"I certainly didn't expect to make the team because of my size, or
lack thereof," she said.
Since the team's inception in 2003, more than 200 women have attended
tryouts for the Passion. The Passion carries an active roster of 55
women with a practice squad.
As with most of the Passion players, McCoy came into tryouts five
years ago with no organized football experience.
"The only previous experience I had was just pick up games when I was
younger with my brother and cousins," she said.
Stoner was in the same boat. She did participate in powder puff
football in high school and co-ed flag football during law school at
the University of Pittsburgh.
The lack of experience hasn't stopped Stoner from making an impact on
defense. She has played cornerback since the start and was second on
the team last year with four interceptions.
"Cornerback has always been my favorite and where I feel most
comfortable playing."
McCoy has seen action on both sides of the ball during her career.
She's been at running back, defensive back and linebacker.
"I definitely feel the strongest on the defensive side of the ball."
McCoy even had a hand in kickoff returns last season averaging 31.5
yards with a long of 42.
The Passion ended the 2006 season with a 5-3 record in the North
Central Division of the National Women's Football League which
includes teams from Erie, Columbus and natural Pittsburgh football
rival Cleveland.
Both McCoy and Stoner were not strangers to athletics when they
started with the Passion. McCoy and Stoner both played basketball and
softball during their high school years at Cornell and Moon Area,
respectively.
The Passion play their home games at Cupples Stadium on the South
Side. Stoner said she definitely notices that Pittsburghers definitely
support the club.
"The fact that Pittsburgh is a football town has definitely helped
us," she said.
The Passion have made quite a splash in the area, attracting crowds
approaching 4,000 per game and leading the league in attendance for
the 2004 season.
"The fan support has been tremendous since the very beginning," said
McCoy.
If that isn't enough to prove the Passion are legit and here to stay,
the organization recently signed an agreement with Comcast to air all
Passion homes games regionally on Monday nights and go on demand for
the entire season.
While they are considered professional athletes, Passion players don't
make NFL-caliber wages, have day jobs and have to work their football
schedule around their professional and personal lives.
In Stoner's case, she is a property specialist with Crown Castle
International. She said that playing for the Passion doesn't impact
her professional life, but admitted that her personal life suffers a
bit.
"Personal relationships are often strained during the season with not
enough hours in the day after work and football, to spend time with
family and non-football friends."
McCoy, a client relations specialist for a mortgage company, has
similar feelings about the time commitment football requires.
"It's hectic, however, I make it work. When you believe in something,
you find the time to make it happen."
Many Passion players consider the team a great source of inspiration
for young women in the Pittsburgh area and these two ladies are no
different.
"I never really thought about it like that when we first got started,"
said Stoner. "But after many young girls started coming to our games
and asking for autographs, we began to realize how much we can help.
"Not only can we show young girls that they can play football, we can
also show them that they can be strong, smart and successful in all
aspects of their lives."
"This shows younger girls that anything is possible, teaches them to
dream big and that the sky is the limit," said McCoy.
The Passion have been very active in community service events such as
the team's Passion For Life Foundation.
The goal of the foundation is to extend the philanthropic vision of
teaching life lessons through sport.
"We've recently started participating in a mentoring program for
school students and continue to teach life lessons," said Stoner.
"To me, it's more than just football," said McCoy. "It's about getting
involved in the community."
As Stoner gets set to enter another hard hitting season, aside from
enjoying the sport, she hopes the Passion are, "Pioneering the way for
young girls to get a chance to play the game of football." |
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